2014 FORD EXPLORER Steering Problems

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel failed to turn in the intended direction. The power steering warning light was illuminated. The failure had occurred while taking a minor child to school. The vehicle was driven to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle was diagnosed with an electric power steering assembly failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was driven to the residence. While driving at an undisclosed speed, several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact was advised to tow the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with steering gear assembly failure. The dealer retrieved DTC: U201149, U300049, and U30096. The contact was informed that the steering gear assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed that the parts...

Power Steering stopped working. Error messages shown are "Power Steering Assist Fault" and "Service AdvanceTrac"

All my dash lights turn off u can drive it but all my dash light is off the abs light its on

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 MPH and turning to the left, the steering wheel started shaking, and he felt the rear end of the vehicle start sliding to the right. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel was stuck in the direction that it was turned and had to be manually returned to center. The contact stated that the failure was more frequent while turning to the left. and while driving at slower speeds. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed and determined that the steering gears needed to be regreased. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

Loss of steering. Driving down the road the my completely locks up while in drive. Was told it was faulty rack and pinions.

Steering gear failure and faulty eps module. Second event. The full assembly and eps failed, and fatal crash was avoided.

1. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The Electronic Steering Gear failed causing the steering to "stick" at certain points of steering, and causing a loud rubbing noise. The steering is also more "loose" and feels insecure. Yes it is available for inspection. 2. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The failure of the electronic steering gear can cause unexpected failure of steering ability while operating the vehicle. This could cause a severe accident going any speed, but especially if I were on the highway. A crash due to loss of steering ability could kill me, my family, and others on the road. 3. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes, my local Ford dealership has confirmed the issue and stated that they won't repair it because...

Lose of controlled of the Steering will driving

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at 65 MPH, the power steering assist feature was disabled, and the steering wheel became very difficult to turn. The messages "Service Advance-trac" and "Steering Loss - Stop Safely" were displayed, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in a recall related to the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 131,590.

electric power steering failure while driving

While driving on [XXX] in Atlanta, GA, my 2014 Ford Explorer suddenly lost all power steering without warning. The dash displayed: “Steering Assist Fault – Service Required”, and the steering wheel became extremely difficult to turn. I was in the vehicle with my wife and [XXX] daughter, and we were traveling at highway speed. We were extremely lucky to be in the right lane at the time — otherwise, I may not have been able to safely maneuver or exit traffic. This could have easily led to a catastrophic crash. I was barely able to keep control of the vehicle and managed to pull over onto the shoulder. A few days before this incident, I noticed a brief steering warning, but the system reset on its own. After the highway event, I had the vehicle scanned and received the following diagnostic codes: U2011:00-49 and U3000, indicating a Power Steering Control...

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while his wife driving at an undisclosed speed, the electronic power steering was not functioning properly, requiring increased effort to maneuver the vehicle. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 135,000.

The contact’s daughter owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving on the highway at 55 MPH, the steering wheel seized, and the power steering assist was disabled. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and turned off and restarted the vehicle however, the power steering assist feature was still inoperable. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer to be diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the rack and pinion was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, 2 years later the failure reoccurred. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving 35 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality and the steering wheel became stiff. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The driver pulled over, restarted the vehicle, and...

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the steering became difficult to turn. The message “Power Steering Assist Fault" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed and the contact was informed that an unknown part had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000.

My 'Rearview Camera system' does not work. When I put my truck in reverse, I get the message 'Please contact your dealer or manufacturer' for help with camera repair. Back in July 2022, my entire 'Steering system' went out and I was forced to borrow from my 401k to pay $2,000 for a new steering system after it went out on the [XXX] during rush hour from New Orleans to Baton Rouge. I almost got pushed off the spillway by two 18-wheelers that day. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Power Steering Failure Approximate date

When turn left or right the steering did not want to turn right away, and when it did it was sudden release.

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle was lost power steering functionality. The message "Steering Fault" was displayed. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the electric power steering gearbox had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that assistance could not be provided because the vehicle was out of warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel failed to turn in the intended direction. In addition, the contact stated that the steering wheel was stiff. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with rack and pinion failure. The contact was informed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 115,564.

I was driving my explorer in a residential area when my power steering assist went out, causing me to not be able to control the steering wheel. I had 3 passengers in the vehicle at the time. I came close to crashing into a ditch but was able to stop the vehicle. It terrified me and my passengers. I struggled to steer it to a restaurant parking lot. After my power steering stopped working, and alarm went off on the dash and said "steering assist fault" needs serviced. I had the explorer towed to AschenBach Ford in Wytheville, Virginia. The Ford service department said that the bar and all electrical steering needs replaced. There was a recall for some 2014 Ford Explorers with this same problem but my VIN is not apart of those recalls and I feel it should have been because that's what happened to my vehicle. It's...

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while her son was driving at an undisclosed speed, he became aware that the electronic power steering was not functioning properly, requiring increased effort to maneuver the vehicle. The steering assist disabled warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the steering gear. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was unknown.

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel failed to turn in the intended direction. The contact stated the steering wheel had seized. The contact stated that the failure had occurred while turning and almost caused a crash. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a failed electronic steering rack. The contact was informed that the electronic steering rack needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist. The traction control warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the spindle rod, steering gear assembly, fuse, hex nut, and bolt needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 102,745.

Power steering assist is constantly going out.

Power steering failed during normal operations. This occurance was in 2021. Paid Ford over $2000 to perform repairs. Now January 2025 same issue occurred. This safety hazard needs to be addressed

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at approximately 2 MPH, the message "Loss of Power Steering Assist" was displayed. The contact stated that the steering wheel seized and was difficult to turn to the left or to the right. The contact stopped the vehicle, turned it off, and restarted the vehicle and the vehicle regained power steering functionality. The contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was diagnosed, and it was determined that the power steering assist had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The manufacturer was informed of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately...

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while reversing, the steering wheel failed to turn as intended. The contact noticed an abnormal grinding sound coming from the vehicle. The contact used added force to turn the steering wheel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed power steering unit. The contact was informed that the power steering unit needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

Steering sounds like it has a groaning noise, I took it into a shop and they noticed it too while I was getting my transmission rebuilt. They could not figure out what the problem was or where it was coming from but assumed it was from the tie rod boots on one side of the car, but all the research I’ve been doing and all other comments about it have been for the rack and pinion starting to fail. It started happening about a month ago (early December 2024) for me where after sitting overnight the steering didn’t want to turn, that stopped happening, but now while driving the steering locks up and breaks free, and you can hear a groaning noise when turning the wheel both left and right when stationary or at low speeds.

Hi my name is [XXX] and Im an owner of a 2014 Ford Explorer sport my vehicle is at the service department for almost 2 months already before i took the vehicle into the dealership to get fix i was going to have a car crash thanks to the front tires of the car. Both front tires locked and the car slide really bad that day the steering wheel went loose and i wasnt able to control the vehicle. I took it to the service department at a ford dealership where I was told that the ABS was falling the computer module was not working and the traction control has an issue too INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel seized with the traction control and check engine warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the power steering control module (PSCM) had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 131,856.

The vehicles steering stopped working with no warning and a Steering Assist Fault alert came on the dashboard.

The electric steering went out on my way home on a very curvy road. The rack and pinion apparently has failed. Please recall this part to get it fixed before someone gets hurt.

Lane keeping system malfunction. Steering assist malfunction. I have no power steering and it’s hard to control vehicle. Ford diagnosed that I need a new steering rack and sensor.

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality, causing the steering wheel to become difficult to turn in either direction. The vehicle was towed to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the steering rack was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 60,346.

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 MPH and making a left turn, the vehicle suddenly lost power steering functionality. The traction control and the electronic stability control warning light were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where the contact was informed that the failure might be related to the power steering control module(PSCM); however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. No further information was provided. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 170,000.

My vehicle has been experiencing the "death wobble". I've done research online and I've seen other people complain about the issue as well as videos. Whenever I drive my vehicle, I hear noises coming from the front end such as scraping and my steering wheel wobbles and it's excessive while on the freeway. I've gotten the wheel bearings replaced, tires rotated, replaced front passenger tire, breaks and rotors replaced. My axel and car were lifted in the air with no damages.

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at approximately 35 MPH and attempting to make a left turn, the power steering failed without warning. The contact depressed the brake pedal and turned the vehicle off. After waiting for a while, the contact restarted the vehicle and continued driving at slower speeds. The contact noticed that when the steering wheel was turned to the left or the right, the steering wheel seized and jerked the steering wheel and the vehicle moved in the direction as intended. The vehicle was taken to a body shop where the vehicle was inspected, and the contact was made aware that the vehicle had an electric power steering assist, not a hydraulic power steering fluid system. The contact was referred to the dealer for assistance. The dealer was contacted, and an appointment was scheduled; however, the vehicle had not been taken...

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormal sound and lost power steering functionality. No warning light was illuminated. The contact research and was made aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not drivable and was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnostic tested. The contact was informed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.

My steering system needs to be replaced. While driving, my steering became very hard to control. My vehicle sways and I wrecked bc of it. Ford said it’s the steering gear that needs to be replaced for $2600. My driver and lane keeping assist lights came on when this started happening. My car needs a new sensor because of the wreck as well. This has prevented me from attending to everyday activities such as work. I have lost so much money and will probably lose everything I have like my home because of this. Ford needs to fix this now!

The whole power steering system has failed as it was being driven in a parking lot. It was at low speeds so no crash involved but was almost impossible to control or turn steering wheel. It said "power steering system needs serviced" but had been working fine when I parked it just a little while before.

The steering wheel failed out of nowhere and is now making a hub bearing grind sound the vehicle tells me “power steering assist fault”.

I was making a u turn and the power steering all but gave out on me. And a message came up on the dash saying “ steering assist fault service required. Luckily I was going at a very slow speed and was close to home. This could be a major problem if on a freeway

While driving the Ford Explorer the Electronic steering fails and can cause a crash.

Steering noise. Steering will randomly lock up or extremely difficult to gain control. My car is a 2014 Ford Explorer bought new. 2011-13 & 2015-16 have recalls for steering issues realted to same symptoms and safety risk. Ford will not recall or procide cistomer care for this known safety risk for 2014 models.

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle had lost power steering functionality with a message to “Drive Safely” displayed. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 65 MPH, the steering wheel seized, and the vehicle became difficult to maneuver. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and inspected the vehicle but was unable to find the cause for the failure. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to the destination where the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the dealer but was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and it was confirmed the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer opened a case for the failure. The manufacturer had referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to file a complaint. The failure mileage was 180,000. The VIN was unavailable.

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at 40 MPH, the vehicle jerked abnormally, and the advancetrac, traction control, steering assist, and several other unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that an unknown message was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was determined that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH, the steering wheel seized with the message “Steering Loss – Stop Safely” displayed. The contact was unable to turn the steering wheel. The contact stopped, turned off and restarted the vehicle; however, the steering wheel remained seized. The vehicle was towed to the contact's lot. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by a dealer or an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and informed the contact that there was no recall on the VIN related to the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 168,000.

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the electric power steering stopped functioning as intended. The traction control warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the steering seized, and the vehicle was difficult to steer. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle was jerking. The contact stated that the failure occurred while his minor children were seated in the rear seat of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed power steering module. The contact was informed that the steering assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed that the repair was not covered under recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 84,700.

Have electric power steering and have had it fixed plus had the rod and piston fixed. Still having issues after less than a year with steering becoming stiff. Been told twice now the problem has been fixed with paying thousands for issue after issue and the steering still having issues.

Power Steering (Steering Assist) failure appeared during driving, steering suddenly was very hard and required a lot of force. After restarting the car, it initially worked, then failed again. Upon further restarts the Steering Assist warning appeared right at starting the car, power steering was not working, just made it to the shop to get it repaired. This is exeactly the same problem as in the 2011-2013 Ford Explorer (NHTSA 14V286000, Ford Recall 14S06). Ford needs to expand the recall to the 2014 model.